Timing controller



Feb. 23, 1965 H. E. REINEcKE TIMING CONTROLLER med Jan. 19. 1960 w. w.5/ f mi a, 2/.. t... .M/ N 0 MH, M .U

INVENTOR. HOWARD EDWIN RENECKE H4 IIO ATro NEYs United States Patent Oof California Filed Jan. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 3,318 Claims. (Cl. 743.52)

This invention relates generally to timing controllers of the type usedfor sequentially actuating members such as contact elements of electricswitches and more particularly describes such an apparatus including aplurality of individually adjustable disk members of novel configurationmounted upon a common shaft, each such disk cooperating with an adjacentdisk to cammingly actuate a switch member during operation.

In its preferred embodiment as hereinafter shown and described theinvention includes a controller disk provided with a pair of spacedgenerally cylindrical peripheral camming surfaces, each of the surfacesbeing interrupted by camming recesses. Typically the two recesses on asingle disk are angularly spaced from one another. Each of the recessesis defined by leading and trailing edges and in the preferred form ofthe invention the angular spacing between the recesses on a singlecontroller disk is such that the trailing edge of one of the recesses issubstantially aligned with the leading edge of the other such recess. Anumber of controller disks of the above type are assembledin an array ona shaft or similar rotatable member and are resiliently biased togetherin mutually abuttable relation so that an appreciable amount of frictionexists between adjacent disks. In this way the user may adjust the disksrelative to one another as may be desired by manually moving one diskrelative to another against the frictional engagement existing betweenthem.

Desirably the disks are provided with suitable indicia means suitablycalibrated for use for a particular application as will be laterunderstood, in order to facilitate setting of adjacent controller disksby the user in accordance with a desired schedule. This permits aselected duration of coincidence of recesses on juxtaposed cammingsurfaces of adjacent disks with a consequent adjustable duration ofcammed actuation of switch members.

In operation the array of controller disks mounted upon the shaft asabove described is caused to rotate by suitable motor means, preferablyat a very low rate of speed such as one or -two revolutions per day, Theelements to be actuated by camming engagement with thecamming'peripheral surfaces of the several controller disks are soarranged that each such element is in slidable contact with juxtaposedperipheral surfaces of a pair of adjacent disks. The geometry of therelationship of the elements to be moved, exemplarily electric switchmembers, is such that movement occurs to a position different fromnormal when the recesses of the two juxtaposed peripheral surfacescoincide. The coincidence is bounded by the leading edge of one recessand the trailing edge of the other. In the interval during which suchcoincidence occurs the actuated element is permitted to move toa certainposition and, when such coincidence terminates, the movable element iscammed back into its normal position. In the arrangementwherein themovable element is part of or otherwise actuates an electricswitch, itis obvious that the switch may be either normally closed or normallyopen, as desired for a particular application.

Each of the controller disks is desirably provided with unidirectionalclutch means permitting its rotation in only one direction such as aratchet or the like in order to preclude the possibility of injury tothe movable element during setting of the device.

3,170,330 Patented Feb. 23, 1965 A typical application of the timingcontroller of the present invention is in the control of a number ofsprinkler circuits in a lawn watering system and such use of the devicemay be referred to occasionally herein although it will be readilyapparent that other applications and uses of the device are within thecontemplation of the invention.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention toprovide a timing controller having a plurality of disks of novelconstruction arranged in a rotatable array for actuating movableelements such as electric switches or the like. Another object is toprovide in a device of the above character a controller disk having apair of spaced generally cylindrical peripheral surfaces, each suchsurface being interrupted by a radially displaced portion, such portionsbeing angularly spaced relative to one another. Still another object isto provide such a disk wherein the displaced portions are recessed.V Afurther object is to disclose in a timing controller of the abovecharacter an arrangement whereby a plurality of controller disks aremounted upon a slowly rotatable shaft in an array so ar` ranged so as tobe easily selectively adjusted by the user in accordance with a desiredschedule.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be understood from astudy of the following description of a preferred embodiment thereoftaken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a timing controller embodying thepresent invention mounted in a typical housing.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 with thefront cover removed in order to Show the internal construction.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III- III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3A is a fragmentary View of the lower part of FIG. 3 at a latermoment of time during operation of the present device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the controller disks inaccordance with the present invention with part 4broken away for clarityof illustration.

Referring now in detail to the drawing and first to FIG. 1 thereof thereis indicated generally at 10 a generally rectangular housing enclosingthe apparatus of the present invention and including a front plate orcover 12 having a generally rectangular window 14 extending a ICCsubstantial portion of the length in order to lgive access to an arrayof controller disks projecting slightly through the window, the arraybeing indicated generally at 16. The front plate 12 is also providedwith a plurality of spaced openings 18 near its lower edge through whichselecting a desired commencing time for actuation of the first switch bythe present device'.

In FIG. 2 the device is seen with the front cover plate 12 removed. Thearray 16 of controller disks are mounted upon a shaft 40 which isrotatably journaled at one end in the end wall 42 of the housing and atits other end in an interior partition 44 of the housing.

Means are provided for rotating the shaft 40 at a desired rate of speed.In the present illustration a motor indicated generally at 50 drives agear 52 at the rate of one revolution per day and the gear 52 in turn isfixed to the dial 23 bearing hourly indicia 54 thereon. Gear 52 is inmesh with a smaller gear 56 mounted upon the shaft 40 and thus drivesthe shaft at two revolutions per day. The array 16 of the controllerincludes an end disk indicated generally at 6i) which is fixed bysuitable conventional means 62 to the shaft 4t). Another disk indicatedgenerally at 65 in the array 16 is seen in enlarged detail in FIG. 4. Aswill be readily there seen, the controller disk 65 includes a pair ofspaced generally cylindrical peripheral camming surfaces 66 and 68 ofequal radii, each of these surfaces being interrupted by a displacedportion of different radius 67 and 69 respectively. These portions arehere shown as having smaller radii than the remaining portions of therespective cylindrical surfaces 66 and 68 and hence constitute recessedportions relative to such surfaces. The controller disk 65 is assumed tobe rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow 76, and accordinglythe recess 67 is defined by a leading edge 71 and a trailing edge 72,while the recess 69 is `defined by the leading edge 73 and a trailingedge 74. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the tworecesses ofa disk are staggered so that the trailing edge 7 2 of one of therecesses is in substantial valignment withV the leading edge 73 of theother recess.

Means are desirably provided for preventing reverse rotation of thecontroller disk 65. In the present embodiment such means include acentral serrated section indicated generally at 76, a portion of whichis broken away at 7S in order to clarify the construction of the diskand particularly the relationship of the two portions 67 and 69 ofdifferent radii from their respective peripheral surfaces 66 and 68. Theindividual teeth 79 of the serrated portion '7 6 are engaged by amovable ratchet member Sti which is rotatably suspended from a hangerrod 82 carried by the housing and attached thereto by suitable bracketmeans 33 above the array 16 of controller disks. Operation of theratchet member Si) will be readily understood by reference to thecorresponding ratchet member 85 seen in FIG. 3, keeping in mind that thedisk as seen in FIG. 3 rotates counterclockwise during operation.

Desirably, the controller disk 65 is a unitary body of rigid materialsuch as plastic or the like and in the preferred form is provided with acentral hub 83 having a bore 89 therethrough for fitting the shaft 4t).The sides of the disk may be recessed in shell-like configuration asindicated to save weight and material so that the peripheral portionshaving cylindrical surfaces 66 and 68 are actually flanged sections ofthe body, and the disk is axially bounded by smooth surfaced faces,preferably the axially oppositely directed annular faces of the flangedsections, lying in axially spaced planes normal to the disk axis.

The controller disks of the array 16 are held in assembled relation asseen in FIG. 2 on shaft 40 with an axially bounding face of each of thedisks being in frictional abutting contact with an axially bounding faceof an adjacent disk or disks. The disks are so retained by resilientmeans such as a helical spring 90 at the right end of the shaft 4t) asseen in FIG. 2, the outer end of the spring 90 abutting against anenlarged collar 92 on the shaft.

Mounted beneath the array 16 of controller disks there is a bank ofswitches indicated generally at 100, each of the switches being inalignment with the juxtaposed camming surfaces of adjacent controllerdisks inthe array 16. Thus the extreme right switch indicated generallyat 102 is in alignment with the juxtaposed camming surfaces of theextreme right controller disk indicated generally at 104 and the nextadjacent disk indicated generally at 106. The switch 102, `as well asother switches in the bank 100, may -be of any desired type such asmicroswitches or the like, either normally on or normally off, so longas they are of a type which may be actuated by movement of a lingerconstituting a cam follower. They need not be electrical switches, butcould be pneumatic or hydraulic valves for example. In the showing ofFIGS. 3 and 3A the switch is shown as including a movable switch memberindicated generally at 1118 and arranged for pivoted rotation about anaxis and provided with a pair of angularly related arms 112 and 114. Theswitch member 16S is urged in a counter-clockwise direction about thepivotal axis 11@ as seen in FIGS. 3 and 3A by suitable resilient meansindicated schematically at 116. The forwardly projecting arm 114 isadapted, when in its lower position seen in FIG. 3A, to make electricalcontact with a fixed contact member or element 126. Suitable electricalconductors 122 and 123 extend between the switch 192 and thecorresponding one of the manual switches 18 carried on the front wall ofthe housing of the present device,

there being a sucient amount of slack in the conductors.Y 122 and 123 tofacilitate connection being made prior to final assembly of the frontcoyer plate 12 with the housing. The exact electrical connections andthe necessary circuit elements are not shown in detail herein since suchconnections and circuitry are well known in the art, are capable of manymodifications for particular purposes and form no part of the presentinvention.

Comparison of FIGS. 3 and 3A will clearly show the camming action whichis characteristic of the operation ofthe present invention. FIG. 3 showsa section through the left hand camming surface 128 of the controllerdisk 1114. Camming surface 128 includes a recess 129 and a similarrecess 131B is formed in the non-corresponding camming surface 132 ofthe adjacent controller disk 106. rIliese two recesses 129 and 130overlap by a relatively small angular extent as shown. The upper arm 112of switch 198 constitutes a cam follower riding on the two surfaces 128and 132. Accordingly the arm 112 is maintained depressed in FIG. 3 andswitch contact members 114 and 120 are hence open, while the position ofthe recesses in FIG. 3A allows the arm 112 to be moved upwardiy underVthe force of spring 116 and the switch contact members 114 and 120 tobe closed.

Indicia means are provided on the controller disks to facilitate settingthe desired time interval of coincidence of recesses for actuationv ofswitch members. yIn the present illustrative embodiment the indiciainclude a scale of spaced numbered lines indicated generally at (seeFIG. 4) on the left hand camming surface of each disk and an arrow orsimilar indicator 142 on the right hand camming surface of each disk.Setting is accomplished by aligning the arrow 142 of one disk with aselected spot along the scale 140 of the adjacent disk to the right. Inthe scale 140 the digits O, l, 2, 3 and 4 indicate the number ofrquarter hours for which the device is set, but manifestly any otherunit of time might be used as desired.

Setting of a desired time interval is easily done. The operatordigitally holds one disk immobile by means of the serrations 79 androtates the adjacent disk, again digitally by means of its serrations79. It is to be particularly noted that, by reason of the frictionalcontact between adjacent disks, setting of one pair of adjacent disksdoes not affect the settings of other pairs of disks. Hencein asprinkler system having a plurality of circuits to be energizedsequentially, the time interval of one cir'- cuit .can be adjustedwithout in any way changing the previously set time intervals andsequence of remaining circuits. Furthermore, with the trailing edge ofone recess of a disk aligned with the leading edge of the other recessyof the same disk, each circuit will be actuated sequentially with nolost time and no overlapping, so that the sprinkler system is used toits best capacity.

It is to be distinctly understood that, in the interest of clarity andconciseness of presentation, no attempt is` here made to show alldetails of circuitry and the like 'which might be used in a completesystem. The invention'deiined in the following claims is not limited toany particular circuitry, speed of revolution of the disks or other suchparameters as determined by the needs of an individual application. Itwill be understood that, although the cooperating camming surfaces ofadjacent disks have been referred to as juxtaposed herein, some degreeof spacing between them is permissible so long as the fingerconstituting the cam follower rides on both surfaces.

I claim:

1. In a timing controller, in combination: means rotatably mounting anddriving a shaft; a plurality of timing disks rotatably carried on theshaft, each comprising a unitary body provided with a pair of axiallyspaced camming surfaces fixed relative to one another constitutinggenerally cylindrical surfaces having interrupting recesses formedtherein; means for resiliently biasing said disks into adjacentfrictional relation; means for imparting shaft rotation to one of thedisks; and follower means each resilienly biased into movable contactwith both a camming surface of one disk and the non-correspondingcamming surface of the adjacent disk.

2. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein the recesses on each diskare angularly spaced.

3. The invention as stated in claim 2 wherein the leading edge of onerecess on a disk is in substantial alignment with the trailing edge ofthe other recess.

4. The invention as stated in claim 1 wherein said means for impartingshaft rotation to one of the disks includes an additional timing diskxed to the shaft in adjacent frictional relation with one of saidplurality of disks.

5. The invention as stated in claim 4 wherein said additional disk isprovided with a camming surface constituting a generally cylindricalsurface having an interrupting recess formed therein and including anadditional follower means resiliently biased into movable contact withboth said last named camming surface and the adjacent non-correspondingcamming surface ofthe adjacent timing disk.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSBlackwell May 1, 1906 843,902 Lewis Feb. 12, 1907 1,856,832 HalvorsonMay 3, 1932 2,249,237 Fulton July 15, 1941 2,281,468 Von Lammeren Apr.28, 1942 2,308,963 Davis et al. Jan. 19, 1943 2,469,761 Bodner May 10,1949 2,537,288 Townsley et al. Ian. 9, 1951 2,558,198 Repass June 26,1951 2,624,812 Shaw et al Jan. 6, 1953 2,711,450 Carr lune 21, 19552,758,166 Aust et al. Aug. 7, 1956 2,852,957 Breitenstein Sept. 23, 19582,855,477 Ullman Oct. 7, 1958 2,903,528 Kuhn Sept. 8, 1959 2,939,336Hetzer June 7, 1960 3,063,299 Kosbab et al Nov. 13, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS1,105,034 Germany Apr. 20, 1961

1. IN A TIMING CONTROLLER, IN COMBINATION: MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING ANDDRIVING A SHAFT; A PLURALITY OF TIMING DISKS ROTATABLY CARRIED ON THESHAFT, EACH COMPRISING A UNITARY BODY PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF AXIALLYSPACED CAMMING SURFACES FIXED RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER CONSTITUTINGGENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SURFACES HAVING INTERRUPTING RECESSES FORMEDTHEREIN; MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY BIASING SAID DISKS INTO ADJACENTFRICTIONAL RELATION; MEANS FOR IMPARTING SHAFT ROTATION TO ONE OF THEDISKS; AND FOLLOWER MEANS EACH RESILIENTLY BIASED INTO MOVABLE CONTACTWITH BOTH A CAMMINING SURFACE OF ONE DISK AND THE NON-CORRESPONDINGCAMMING SURFACE OF THE ADJACENT DISK.